A FORMER Tory council leader has backed the LibDem candidate in the Mid-Formartine by-election.
Councillor Jim Gifford announced in June 2020 that he would no longer sit on Aberdeenshire council as a Conservative and joined the aligned independents group along with two other now former Tories.
And now Gifford has backed LibDem candidate Jeff Goodhall over Tory candidate Sheila Powell for a seat on Aberdeenshire council.
Gifford said he was putting party politics aside and was backing the “right person for the role”.
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Jenny Nicol is standing for the SNP, while the Scottish Greens have put up candidate Peter Kennedy.
The Mid-Formartine seat is up for grabs after former councillor Karen Adams stood down after she was elected as an SNP MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast in the May Scottish Parliament election.
On his decision to back the LibDems, Gifford said: “I honestly believe that party politics can often get in the way of getting things done at a local level and that it is more important to have the right person for the role of councillor, irrespective of political allegiance.
“We are now experiencing a very difficult time for the council with increasing needs for services which exceed the income required to meet them. Some hard decisions are ahead of us and we need someone who has deep roots in the community combined with business experience who can take an objective and informed view of what is needed for the area.
“I was impressed by the way in which Jeff and the business group worked in Oldmeldrum to make sure that views about the developments in the town were collected and conveyed to the council, making sure that both compliments as well as concerns were put forward.
Cllr Gifford, former Tory council leader, has backed the LibDems
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“I believe that Jeff Goodhall is the best candidate for Mid Formartine and will be an asset to the council. I am pleased to give him my full support.”
LibDem candidate Goodhall added: “As Chair of the business group I came to realise how important it is for local businesses and the wider community to work together, and how effective these partnerships can be.
"If I am elected I will work hard to maintain and develop these links to make sure that there are strong connections between the Council and the people it serves.”
Aberdeenshire council is currently run as a coalition administration with the LibDems and aligned independents group.
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